


Reading Between the Lines

by holybodies



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Friends to Lovers, M/M, and other moments, based on their recent vlogs, chan has 2000 thoughts in a row, lots of hand holding, maybe a smooch or two, slow almost invisible burn?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holybodies/pseuds/holybodies
Summary: Something had changed.Maybe it started with Chan climbing up into Felix’s bunk, his muscled body tangled in the sheets, ankles knocking against the younger boy’s delicate ones.Or maybe it began when they started spending their breaks together, first out of necessity, then out of choice.Either way, something had changed and Felix and Chan were falling in closer, and closer.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix
Comments: 21
Kudos: 271





	Reading Between the Lines

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in YEARS. I tried to capture the feeling I get between the two lately but I don't know how successful I was. I just know Felix and Chan use that baby voice they do together all the time.  
> Can be read as just close bros... I GUESS.... also not completely sure about the timeline of the vlogs but I tried to piece it together (seems like the same day bc the Uno game/baking was in both??).

Something had changed. 

Maybe it started with Chan climbing up into Felix’s bunk, his muscled body tangled in the sheets, ankles knocking against the younger boy’s delicate ones. 

Ever since their One Kid’s Room talk, Chan had made a concerted effort to be more affectionate with Felix. It hadn’t occurred to him that things were outright different with him. Sure, he had watched Felix hug Jeongin from behind in the waiting room, doze off with his head pillowed on Changbin’s thigh. It was just different with them. Chan was the leader. Although he was fond of his friend, he had to be tough on him, had to hold him at arm’s length to make sure he didn’t fall behind. Or so he thought. 

In the weeks following their discussion of Felix’s habit, Chan began to test the waters. He started with a casual arm around his friend’s shoulder, his hand settling at the peak and squeezing gently. That was simple enough. Felix didn’t seem to mind or react, save for a cursory glance and smile behind him. It became a habit for Chan, a way for him to pull Felix in closer to him without making it so obvious that he had noticed he was Different and had to have things the Same. 

Before long, he found himself pushing things farther, climbing up into Felix’s bunk late at night when everyone had quieted down, tired from a day of schedules. 

“Whatcha doooin’?” He trilled out, accent in full effect as he crawled over on his hands and knees to drop down next to Felix. Felix looked up from his phone, popping an earbud out and smiling so wide his eyes crinkled up.

“Nothiiiing.” Felix said back, mimicking his tone in a higher pitch. He scooted over to the side and patted next to him to invite Chan in closer. Chan ambled right in, plopping belly first by his friend’s side and wordlessly taking the earbud Felix left on the bed. It was that simple for them. Words weren’t even necessary for them to spend time together, to communicate. 

He bobbed his head to the mellow song Felix was playing, glancing over now and then, his heart catching in his throat when Felix did the same. The other was mouthing the words in an exaggerated fashion, brows wiggling about his face until they were both laughing and leaning against each other. The bed creaked in the otherwise silent room, the weight of their bodies together jiggling it, and Chan found it far too easy to slip an arm around Felix and tuck him into his side, their socked feet connecting at the end of the bed and bumping against each other. Ah. So this is what he had been missing. 

And so it began, this new habit of his. With his newfound freedom to reach out and touch Felix, he found himself in his friend’s bed more nights than not. They listened to music, side by side, or watched each other play games on their phones, taking advantage of the tight space to silently cuddle in closer to each other. The night always ended in the both of them falling asleep, front to front with their arms looped around each other, or giggling and rolling around together until Minho or another member grumbled for them to stop.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Maybe it was the end of their promotions that had changed things, the two Australian boys left to their own devices at the dorm while the other members left for family visits or time alone. Could they have asked to tag along with Hyunjin with his parents, or gone off somewhere on their own? Sure, but it felt like an imposition, and the two of them knew they had each other to rely on during these times. They always had.

On their first day off, both of them slept in longer than the managers would ever let them normally. Felix had been up playing Fall Guys until 3 am anyways, Chan working on his computer and looking up to laugh every now and then when the other burst out a scream, his character tumbling like jelly down to its death. It was mid-afternoon when they woke, both shuffling to the kitchen to gulp down cups of water to quench their sleep-dried mouths. Felix spoke first, passing a hand through his silvery-blonde locks only for them to fall right back where they started. 

“I’m thinking of making some cookies today. Will you be my taste tester again?” The way he leaned against the counter was casual, but his eager eyes betrayed him. He was constantly trying new recipes, half out of fun but half trying to get the approval of Chan. Chan was always giving him reviews of ‘good, very good’ and he was yet to get an ‘amazing, delicious’. Chan would never tell him outright that he would never give the compliment up that easily, far too happy to have Felix come running up to him trying to feed him various cookies or brownies he made. 

“Sure. You know I always like to try what you make. Why don’t you let me help you today? I’ll be Sous Chef Bang Chan! You have to film your free day vlog today, right?” His brows drew together in a questioning look, his hand reaching out to tap Felix’s elbow. At times like this, just the two of them together, the bridging of the gap between them became even easier, a natural blurring of lines. 

“Oh, yeah. I’ve got the equipment right here. I’ll go out and get the ingredients, unless you want to come with?” 

“Nah, I have some things I have to finish. Will you be alright on your own?” Chan scratched at his cheek, a nervous tic. He felt bad sending Felix shopping by himself but part of being the leader, of being Leader Bang Chan, was the hustle and constant work he dedicated to putting out the best for their fans.  
“‘course. Go be best leader Bang Chan. Don’t work too hard.” Felix answered with a raise of his fist in a cheering gesture. They parted ways in the kitchen, moving around each other in the dorm in comfortable silence as they got ready separately. 

Before long, Chan was heaving his bag onto his shoulder and pocketing his keys to prepare to go to the studio.

“I’m going now. See you later.” Felix waddled into Chan’s arms, his house slippers skidding on the floor, and he wrapped his arms around his friend to wish him goodbye in the doorway. And if the hug lingered a bit too long, their cheeks closer together than normal, neither mentioned it.

Later that evening, Chan opened the door of the dorm, camera wielded at his face to document his day. It had been a long few hours of working at the company and he couldn’t deny the excitement in his core at the thought of spending his free evening with his friend. Felix came bounding around the corner, already moving in for a hug when he noticed the camera with a soft exclaim. He turned back around the corner, scurrying back into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

It’s not like they were different on camera, persay, but Chan understood the reaction. Something about being close with Felix the way they were recently felt exposed on camera, nerve-wracking, like their viewers would somehow zero in on the feelings he kept inside his head. Were Stays psychic? Sometimes he felt like they were. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur of laughter, unspoken affection, and a soft camaraderie that pervaded the whole dorm. He put soft jazz on while they cooked and played assistant to Felix’s chef role, deferring to being a follower for once. It felt nice to see Felix in his element, one where he felt confident and let his shy nature fall away to boss Chan around for once. When the vlog camera was on, they drew apart, their teasing nature amplified by their shared want to ham it up for the camera. When the camera was off, they moved in like magnets, their knees bumping together in their seats on the floor and their eyes shining with more warmth than they’d let on in front of anyone else. Chan suddenly thought that he wanted to have these sort of moments forever.

Later on they played a game of Uno, their voices falling into the playful voices they found themselves using with each other more often than not. 

“Hoho…” Felix laughed, cheeks nearly bursting from his smile as he laid down his reverse card. Not so fast. Chan’s face lit up with a badly hidden grin as he placed down his own reverse, causing Felix to shrivel up in defeat, crying out. There was nothing like spending time this way, allowed to have fun together like they were friends before all else. 

Sometimes Chan imagined it that way, the two of them meeting in a different context, allowed to be boys together, friends all along since their days in Australia. It was a tempting thought but ultimately he wouldn’t change things for a million dollars. Seeing Felix shine on stage and grow more confident, performing next to two of his best friends… no, he wouldn’t trade it for a thing.

“Alright, I’ve had enough. Beating you over and over is getting a bit old for me. You hungry?” Chan stacked his cards together in one hand, straightening them on the table with a playful smile. 

“Come on. You got all the reverse cards! That wasn’t a fair draw at all. Yeah… hey, can we go to Dongdaemun? I’ve always wanted to in our free time.” Felix nudged the other with one of his feet and passed his cards over to help clean up. 

The pair found themselves in Dongdaemun once the sun was down, bellies and hearts full from an evening of pork belly and heart to hearts. They kept the camera on as they strolled by the water, but Chan still shivered when Felix tucked himself into his side and he put his arm around the smaller boy’s shoulder in the way he found so comforting lately. 

“Look, everyone’s relaxing. It’s so nice here.” Felix spoke, eyes roving over the groups of friends, couples, wiling their cares away by the river. In his tone was the thought Chan had earlier, the ‘what if this was our life all the time’, ‘what if that could be us’ that he had held inside him. 

“So many couples… today’s couple is Felix and Bang Chan.” Felix mused into the camera, and if Chan was surprised he didn’t show it, simply backing it up with a reply of “Australian couple!”. But inside, his heart jumped. This was new. Usually they called each other brothers, not leaning into the shipping vocabulary that they knew floated around members, mostly Minho and Jisung, or Changbin and Felix. The sudden change made him nervous, in an excited way that made his voice catch in his throat. 

They ended their walk on a bridge, posing together for a picture. For the fans, was the reasoning, but the charade felt well-worn by then. Was this a date? It felt like one, the way they walked together and talked softly, relishing the time together. He didn’t question it for a second, too worried about shattering the fragile bubble that had formed around him and Felix during the day. It didn’t matter, in the end, any time with Felix precious in his eyes.

That night, they got ready for bed together. They brushed their teeth side by side, shoving each other until Felix accidentally spat toothpaste onto Chan’s wrist and doubled over choking with laughter. And like everything else that day, it felt natural to crawl into the same bunk even when it was just the two of them alone at the dorm. It felt natural to curl their forms around each other in the dark, the only sound in the room a pleased hum or nervous laugh when one of them adjusted position and shook the bunkbed. It felt natural to stop, faces close together on a shared pillow, until one of them leaned in and the other’s breath caught in their throat, lips connecting in a soft touch that felt unreal and imagined when they pulled away. It felt natural to fall asleep, fingers linked on top of the blankets, their breaths moving in unison until they rose in the morning, falling away from each other when the beep of the front door signaled one of the members returning from their free time.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Things were different. 

Stray Kids was on the variety show circuit following their recent comeback. In between memorized recitations of their album’s themes and best tracks, they played games, teased each other and charmed hosts. Now and then, Chan would catch Felix’s eye from the other side of the members and Felix would make a face at him, round eyes wide but filled with warmth. When they were chosen to play a game of aegyo chicken with each other, Chan leaned into it, and Felix didn’t back down. He winked back, a twinkle in his eye, and the world narrowed until the host had to remind Chan to come back to his seat. 

The members laughed at his dazed state, Jisung leaning on Minho for support, the other pursing his lips together in that way that just made the laughter sputter out instead. 

The maknae was perceptive, someone who silently picked up on moods and rolled with them one way or another. But suddenly Jeongin, who normally laughed at their antics, eyes wide and incredulous as the two winked or talked in baby voices to one another, watched them blankly. His eyebrows lifted once, lips pressed together in a flat line before the moment passed and he was back to cackling at Hyunjin’s witty remarks and quipping out his own one-liners. 

Later, he came to Chan in the studio, sitting quietly behind him before he spoke up. 

“Hyung... why do you guys do that?” 

“Do what?” Chan spun around in his desk chair, one hand absently adjusting the beanie covering his hair. 

“You and Lix hyung... I know everyone has to do it every now and then, and nobody minds it because we’re all close, but you guys look at each other like you’re serious.” 

Chan let out a nervous laugh, the sound an instinctive reaction. “I... what? I’m not sure I know what you mean... Felix and I have always been close. He’s like a younger brother to me.” The moment he said it, he knew those words rung hollow. Sure, he used to believe it, but he would never say it now. No, because then it would be wrong to want to... to feel... 

“I guess... I just noticed. It’s different from how you used to be around each other. I thought maybe it was bothering you. Never mind it. Thanks, hyung.” Before Chan even had another chance to respond again, Jeongin was up and out of the studio, waving and smiling in the small way that still made his dimple shine through. 

He was right though, Chan thought, and he rested his head in his hands for a moment, ears burning as he played back in his mind the way Felix bunched close to him in their bunk and compared their hand sizes until their fingers closed around each other. 

Yes, Jeongin was right, because somehow, an unspoken but welcome change had passed over them without either of them bringing attention to it. It was easy that way, and that’s part of what Chan loved so much about Felix, about the two of them together. So much could be said without saying anything at all.


End file.
